I discovered knitting a few years ago while caring for my Mother-in-Law who was living with us at the time. There was a lot of stress at home during that time of caring for a grieving woman who also suffers from dementia and a host of physical ailments. I needed something quiet to do in the evenings after a day of homeschooling, answering the phone for my husband's pastoral ministry, and care giving. Knitting was the perfect stress reliever. After learning several different stitches, supplying my friends and family with more hats and scarves than they could ever desire, I discovered Etsy, and a chance to sell my creations on line. By this time, Mom had moved to a nursing home, and we had a whole lot of her jewelry available to sell as well.
My fibromyalgia symptoms have gotten dramatically worse over the past couple of years, and knitting continues to be a great outlet for me in my diminished capacity.
The latest change to my shop came recently when my oldest son and his wife started the process of adopting sibling orphans from Uganda. Now 50% of the proceeds from children and baby items go to help them in this pursuit.